Good Monday Evening! I am happy to report that I actually got some stuff done on the website this week, and not only that I got out to the range. One of the great lies about working in the shooting industry is that you get to shoot all the time. Well, sometimes you do, but it’s no the type of shooting any of us would consider helpful. Before we get into what I did at the range, let’s talk about what we updated the website with.
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was working on a book review for Ammunition Making by George E. Frost. I have finally finished the review. You can read the review as well as get some sample pictures of what is contained in the book. The link for that is here Thoughts on Ammunition Making by George E. Frost. Unfortunately, this book has been out of print for some time and it is scarce. Scarcity has driven up the price and I have seen copies listed at $300 to $600. Keep an eye out for it at used book stores, or online use book shops. Sometimes you can sneak in and get a deal when the seller does not know what gem they have.
This weekend I had the pleasure of shooting in a 3×600 match at the Civilian Marksmanship Range in Talladega Alabama. What a treat that was. We had a tropical storm moving in on us and it rained the whole time we were shooting but surprisingly very little wind. This range will spoil you with the electronic targets, you get nearly instant feedback on your hits, and can dial in the sights without walking downrange or the use need of an optic.
This means the equipment you need to bring to the range is pretty darn limited. Basically, it comprises of yourself, your rifle, some ammo, and a pair of shooting glasses/ear pro. Honestly, I find this to be a huge blessing as one of the hurdles for me is having to bring a truckload of equipment. Spotting scopes, shooting mats, targets, staple gun, logbook, spotting scope stand, and depending on what I am doing, a chronograph. Somedays I feel like I spend very little time shooting and most of my time, setting up, taking down, or walking back and forth between the targets. The system at the CMP range is not new to me, most commercial ballistics labs with a testing tunnel have some sort of electronic target. however having it on a covered outdoor range, to where we were able to shoot all morning long without getting wet, is sweet.
The other guys at the match were shooting mostly service rifles with some guys shooting F-Class. We had one guy shooting his Palma rifle. I was the only one shooting traditional iron sights, from an M1A in 308 Win. I know I can catch some flak for not shooting an AR-15, but honestly, my passion for the M1A runs deep. It is a rifle I really enjoy shooting. I am not a competitive shooter, but I like to test myself, and shooting this rifle at 600 yards was a real test of my skills. The 3×600 is shot prone, 20 rounds per course of fire with two sighters, you have 2 minutes to shoot the sighters and make any corrections to your sight, and then you have 20 minutes to shoot 20 shots. My first round was basically 20 sighters, just trying to shake the rust off and get the rifle dialed in.
Once I was dialed in, it was more or less an exercise in endurance. Typically my first ten shots did a lot better than my second ten. The sling I have on my rifle is a Les Tam, and I got the sling to use for this type of shooting, I am still learning how to use it properly. I knew going into it that I was not going to score very well. The guys at the match all competed nationally, the scores that won the match were all in the 590’s with 30 or more Xs. They had proper service rifles with 4.5 power optics, shooting jackets, shooting mats, optics, and probably about $500 of other assorted gear. Not to mention hundreds of hours of practice time under their belts. I am ok with that, I kind of like the simple challenge of what I can do with my rifle, in what you might call an “everyday” dress and wear.
I look forward to the next match, I may not shoot next month, but I hope to shoot a bit more regularly. I will probably try and bring some other rifles to the match. I need to work on a load for my Lee Enfield, and I would like to get some more trigger time on that historic rifle especially at distances. Someday I’ll build or buy an M1 Garand and I am sure I will bring that to the range frequently. There was a time shooting competitively that really appealed to me, but that time has somewhat faded. I just like to shoot to improve myself, and buying a shooting jacket, or having $1000’s of dollars of gear to tote around, is not really appealing to me.
As far as industry news goes, there is not much that has caught my eye this past week. The ATF nomination keeps getting put off, if you have not called your senator then please take the time to do so and oppose David Chipman. Also, head over to the ATF’s website and write a thoughtful comment on opposing the two new regulations that are being proposed and at in comment periods. Namely the redefining of what constitutes a Firearm, and what is allowed when it comes to an arm brace. Both of those reinterpretations of existing laws really have the potential to upset a large portion of the industry. Combine that with the confirmation of David Chipman who has openly worked for the Anti-gun lobby, and we have a nasty situation brewing that can really have long-term ramifications for the industry.
Lastly, thanks to everyone who has been using the Amazon Affiliate link. It’s a small program that helps out small websites like this to offset some of the costs of registering and upkeep. I do not make any money from this site, in fact, it costs money to run. I do it because it is a passion. There are other affiliate programs I would love to be a part of but the traffic to the site is not quite large enough to qualify for enrollment. We will just keep on keeping on, but thanks to everyone who takes the time to use our links to buy stuff, I do appreciate it.
I anticipate the I will be doing an update on the burn rate chart in the next few weeks. I have a couple of emails requesting a printable copy. Hold tight, I want to get you a copy of the new stuff. I’ll send you a version when that is completed. Just heads up, the update will likely be adding another column which is going to make it a bit harder to print. If there are powders you are not interested in, what may be best is for me to hide those columns so they do not have an impact on the overall text on the chart. Let me know in advance and I can alter it for you.
As always if you are looking to get in touch, the best way is to send me an email at jay@theballisticassistant.com. You may check us out on Parler, Facebook, Instagram, and Reddit. If you’d like to submit a load to our load database, the instructions are here.
As always, shoot straight and stay safe!
The Ballistic Assistant